So, standard procedure is the girls go through hair and make-up, and afterwards you take a few shots of bride + bridesmaids in their matching robes.
Then they kick you out of the room, shut the door, get dressed -- and later invite you back in to capture the finishing touches -- doing up the back of the bride's dress, putting jewellery on, putting veil on, etc.
It's modest, it's proper, it's standard.
Then there are brides who are unshy. They're comfortable with you being there while they're getting dressed, or maybe they want a shot of themselves getting into the dress.
There was one bride I remember, standing in the middle of a large lounge room, getting into her dress, all her relatives around, and, frankly, she didn't give a crap. Totally secure in herself. Had much bigger things to worry about that day than her relatives seeing her bra.
And I've got to say -- from a capturing life and motion and emotion point of view, "getting into dress" is a good photo opportunity.
And then there are couples who, to put it bluntly, want you to make it sexy.
Thankfully, none of my clients have personally asked me to do this, but I've been the videographer at weddings where the photographer has received this sort of request.
The groom strips off, does some push-ups, wants to surprise his intended with a memento of his glistening muscles. Or the bride wants you to capture a seductive, "for groom's eyes only" moment.
Now, wedding photography is a surprising blend of things. It's product photography, it's street photography, it's portrait photography, it's car photography. It's fashion, landscape, editorial, and fine art photography. And studying any of these areas makes you better at capturing weddings.
But I've never really looked at boudoir photography. Now, I totally respect the art. And I'm sure I could do a competent job at it. I'm sure I could analyze photographs, learn poses, learn angles and lighting. But, at the end of the day, do I really want to? I don't think it's my sensibility or my vibe.
One story to finish with. I was once taking a shot of a bride putting a garter on (the garter that the groom removes with his teeth and throws to his friends at the end of the reception). The bridesmaids in the room joked about it being a "sexy shot". Bride asked me how it turned out and I replied, "It was a little too sexy".
She laughed, the bridesmaids laughed -- and my camera went "click".
Shot of garter on bride's thigh -- into the rubbish bin. Shot of explosion of laughter -- into the photo album.
